Bedlam Street (Feature Film)- Dir. Paul Wendell: 89 mins
Jim Uhls, Screenwriter for the smash hit 'Fight Club', states, 'It's good. The actors are good. The direction is good. The screenplay is good. From the first frame to the last, there is not an inauthentic moment to be found. And that's, frankly, a fairly astonishing accomplishment.'
Bedlam Street leads us through a web of intersection and coincidence, it follows the struggles of several interconnected characters. Ajani and Muna are immigrants running a convenience store and attempting to build a better life for themselves and their young son. Gabe is a troubled youth with an expectant girlfriend and a desperate need for money. Police officer Leon is struggling with his faith while trying to manage difficulties with his dying mother and his impressionable teenage son. Catlin is a drugged-out prostitute rapidly losing all hope. The town is also facing a string of unexplained kidnappings and the fear of a new evil presence on the rise.
On the surface, it examines themes surrounding crime, poverty, race, religion, family and the innocence of children. Undertones deal with world politics, the economy and the occult.

Cinema A: Block 2:

The Assistant- Dir. Dave Hill: 11 mins
A disgruntled photographer's assistant pretends to be his boss when a young actress arrives early for her photo shoot.

SEX/ABSURD (Feature Film)- Dir. Kenneth Quinn Brown: 83 mins
A young writer, Jack, struggles with the consequences of leaving his volatile, long term girlfriend, Ana, to pursue his career. Through a series of new, fleeting relationships he ultimately learns to cope by drawing from his experiences and turning them into a black and white, Felliniesque film entitled, 'Anabelle.'

Cinema B: Block 1:

Between I and Us- Dir. George Pfau: 6 mins
'Between I and Us' emphasizes pronouns and the threshold between the legible and illegible, voice and image-wise. Inspired by zombie films and love songs, the video explores the blurry line between 'I' and 'Us.'

Sahasi Chori (Brave Girl)- Dir. Erin Galey: 18 mins
BHUMIKA, a 13-year-old Nepali girl, travels with her family friend KRISHNA from her Himalayan home to her first job in the city. Leaving the village begins a fateful journey of unexpected events in an unfamiliar world. When Krishna suddenly asks her to cross the border with him to India, taking her further and further away from home, Bhumika must ask herself what she's willing to sacrifice for the good of both her family and Krishna's.

Pulling Away- Dir. Al White: 5 mins
A young Japanese girl lives a reclusive life indoors as a Hikikomori, using video games as her only means of escape into the outside world. But when her longing for a boy living in the same building as her grows in intensity - will she be brave enough to leave her securities behind and step into the real world?

I’ll Be Your Mirror- Dir. Vita Weichen Hsu: 2 Mins
We must understand our past before we can hope to understand ourselves, we hold on to it so we won't forget but we shall forgive and keep on moving together.

The Land of Cain- Dir. John Henry Haseltine: 15 mins
Two All-American fellows with flannel jackets and hats embark on a mysterious expedition in what might have been the actual spot where, years ago, Cain killed his brother Abel.

Departure- Dir. Siglia Diniz: 6 mins
This is a story of a family who is dismantled during the turbulent political environment in Brazil in 1964, one week prior to the military revolution overthrows the civilian government there. It shows how ordinary citizens may pursue difficult and brave decisions to keep family and values safe.

Tug- Dir. Josh Solomon: 15 mins
After winning a high stakes game of beer pong at a party, two best friends (Adam and Brett) are challenged by their rivals to prove who is the better pair of friends. With $300 and their manlationship on the line, they are determined to do anything to win. Anything.

Buried Treasure- Dir. Leslie Hope: 28 mins
After the sudden and surprising loss of his beloved wife, grief stricken Mark struggles through an unbearable and solitary existence. Yet when Mark accidentally discovers hidden treasure in the toilet of a remote gas station, he is thrust into the world of geocaching, awakening a desire to reinvent his present by revisiting his past.A 'cinema poem' for geocachers, ‘Buried Treasure’ is the story of love and gratitude - a reminder that just when you think all is lost, your treasure may find you.

Cinema B: Block 2:

The Coffers- Dir. Eric Wilson: 20 mins
'The Coffers' is a short-form narrative cinema conferring the lamentable exploits of a dominant corporate leader, his efforts to lead his son toward a more fulfilling future, and a capricious friendship that hangs in the balance.

Passio- Dir. Andreas Feldfos Bargman, Mette Mikkelsen: 3 mins
An old man wakes up to a morning full of sunshine and hope, which slowly disappears.

Johnny- Dir. Amos McKay: 9 mins
Johnny's a musician whose internal struggle to kill his audience forces him to have a hallucinogenic breakdown on stage.

The Locket- Dir. Justin Galindo: 3 mins
It tells the story of a young man in a wheel chair's struggle to reach the end of a beach, all the while having to face painful memories of his past.

FRONTERA- Dir. Lacey Dorn: 18 mins
FRONTERA is a story of two childhood companions: Louise, a young Texan ranch wife, and Mary Catherine, a lonely young woman entrenched in the conservative ways of old Texas. Ignored by her idle husband and faced with financial ruin, Louise turns to the South Texas border’s burgeoning drug trade for her own source of income. As the local drug cartel ensnares Louise, she struggles to keep separate a God-fearing community and a godless employer. Suspicious of her friend’s behavior, Mary Catherine digs too deep, endangering the lives of all involved.

Sand Box- Dir. Daniel Carberry: 4 mins
An action short film about a squad of five soldiers lost in the desert.

Vanished- Dir. Simon Beckman: 11 mins
A secret research facility has been completely annihilated when a special ops team comes to the rescue. Keaton, a hard-nosed investigator, tries to reconstruct what has happened when one sole survivor is discovered.Alex, shell-shocked and wounded, cannot remember much, still Keaton is relentless. He needs to find out what she knows right now to avoid an even greater disaster.

To The Last Drop- Dir. Bill McGuire: 3 mins
In the midst of a fiery battle, two soldiers face an unexpected resource shortage.

Buddy- Dir. Alex Wroten: 8 mins
A lonely, shut-in astronaut is forced to venture out of his spaceship when his nearly obsolete computer companion inexplicably crashes.

SALESMAN- Dir. Sean McWilliams: 10 mins
The film follows a traveling salesman whose life is at a crux. With his personal life unraveling in the background he goes through the motions of trying to be himself.

SKINHEAD REQUIEM- Dir. Jason Victor Everett: 7 mins
A volatile skinhead convict on death row and a not-so-typical priest cross paths for a final prison visitation. Featuring a powerful performance by Tom Noonan.

Air- Dir. Mete Sozer: 1 Min
The juxtaposition of freedom and the horror which accompanies nothingness.

Audience Choice Awards will be announced at 10:45 pm at Hotel Figueroa for our informal after-party